Police Say at Least 90 People Have Died in a Nightclub Fire in Southern Brazil

Police Say at Least 90 People Have Died in a Nightclub Fire in Southern Brazil

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A fire in a nightclub in southern Brazil killed at least 90 people early Sunday, police and firefighters said.

Sandro Meinerz, spokesman for the police in the city of Santa Maria, told local media that the fire broke out at the Kiss club while a band was
performing. He said at least 200 people were injured.

The blaze reportedly began when a performing band started a fireworks display. Acoustic insulation caught fire, and thick smoke filled the club,
causing many to die.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, officials said. The total number of victims is still unclear and there may be hundreds injured, Civil Police
and regional government spokesman Marcelo Arigoni told Radio Gaucha. The local newspaper, Diario de Santa Maria, reported there could be 180 dead.

I am not familiar with Brazilian law, but it seems to me that the fireworks that were let off, cannot have been of the right type for indoor use if
they managed to set fire to something. Indoor fireworks are so safe, you can run your hand over the sparks and they wont burn your hand.

They WILL ignite highly flammable vapour, say from spilt spirits like vodka or some such, or flammable gas, but they dont tend to be capable of
setting fire to things that a regular firework would. There is also the matter of the saftey of the accoustic insulation to think about. I would have
thought that a club which has to cater for thousands of people in a night, would have to be responsible for the saftey of those people. One also would
assume, that in an effort to take care of that feature, the buildings fireproofing would have to be up to the job of preventing an incident like this.

At least 180 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in southern Brazil, police say. They say the fire began when a band on
stage started a fireworks display at the Kiss nightclub in the city of Santa Maria, in Rio Grande do Sul state. Reports say there was only one exit
and panic spread as people tried to get out. Many victims reportedly died from inhaling toxic fumes.

More than 200 people have died and at least 100 others injured in a fire at a nightclub in Brazil. Local media say there were as many as 2,000
people in the club when the blaze began following a pyrotechnics show.
Police said that the victims had died from smoke inhalation or been trampled to death as terrified revellers ran for their lives as the flames
engulfed the club. A video posted on Facebook shows paramedics treating those injured outside the club while surrounded by several bodies.

If the saftey of the customers was enough of a priority to the people who run the club, then this would not have happened. It is virtually impossible
for the circumstances which prevailed in Brazil, to have caused a fire and the deaths of so many merry makers, unless either a) the owners failed to
comply with reasonable saftey regulations, or b) the saftey regulations, are not stringent enough in Brazil to prevent this sort of horror from
unfolding.

I am hearing on the BBC right now that people were trying to knock a hole in a wall to escape the fire and smoke. Near as many people appear to have
died from being trampled under foot, as died from smoke inhalation. So, there were not enough fire escape exits, there was not adequate fireproofing.
This sounds like a massive failiure. If the regulations in Brazil have been broken, then I can see the owners of the club getting the book thrown at
them. If the regulations were followed, then they are too damned weak and need beefing up.

A fire at the nightclub Kiss in the center of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, left dead and wounded in the early hours of Sunday. According to the
fire department, at least 245 bodies were removed from the nightclub. There are 48 injured in hospital, according Maj. Bassanelo, Military Brigade. At
the time of the tragedy, there were between 300 and 400 people on site, attending a college party.

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

As usual in cases like this, it looks like the doors were locked, so people couldn't escape the fire.

This has happened in many countries, it's not limited to Brazil, so trying to point this as part of the "it couldn't happen here" is like
"blocking the Sun with a sieve", as they say in Brazil.

For those trying to look smart by trying to compare this to killing sprees done with guns, you only show that you think that your opinion is more
valuable than human life, at least the life of people not from your own country. Sad.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

So tragic and sad. I remember the station house fire in Rhode Island where so many people lost their lives or were disfigured for life. My nephew was
supposed to be at that club that night. Thank God he never made it there.

Originally posted by cybro
Was the fire started by an assault weapon and were there any schools nearby?

No, a band was playing there and let of some sort of firework that set fire to the ceiling. Where did you get the assault weapon and schools
nearby?

From BBC news:

At least 230 people have died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in a university city in southern Brazil, police and officials say. Local media
say the fire began when a band let off fireworks at the Kiss club in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. Many victims reportedly inhaled toxic fumes or
were crushed as panicking clubbers tried to escape. Bereaved families have gathered at the scene where the fire is out and bodies are being removed.

The Brazilian government is terrible for permitting such dangerous places to exist. They promote alcoholism
and the transmission of STD's.
Seems like one killed hundreds in this case. All in the name of 'fun'? Is it worth it?

The Above Top Secret Web site is a wholly owned social content community of The Above Network, LLC.

This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.